5 Manchester United players who need to be moved on in the summer

#1 Dean Henderson might look to move away from Manchester United for more game time

Dean Henderson has barely featured for United this season

The goalkeeping situation is a peculiar one at Manchester United. At one point in the 2020-21 season, it looked like Dean Henderson had truly cemented his place in the starting eleven over long-time number one David de Gea.

The Europa League final loss to Villarreal, with De Gea not saving one solitary penalty, meant that certain sections of the fans were asking for Henderson to take over as the number one.

Several other technical factors were also involved. There is no doubt that the Spaniard is a better shot-stopper, but the former Sheffield United goalkeeper is better at ball progression through distribution and more commanding in the six-yard box. His vociferous nature has often been highlighted as an argument for a rejuvenated backline as he adds more energy and awareness.

In the 2020-21 season, he featured in a total of 26 games and had a clean sheet in 13 of them whilst conceding 22 goals. De Gea, meanwhile, played in 36 matches, conceded 46 goals and had a clean sheet in 12 of them.

This season was meant to be the one where Henderson looked to cement his place. Unfortunately for the Englishman, he fell ill at the start of the season and missed an extensive period on the sidelines.

On top of that, De Gea seemed to have regained his old form as he looked like the only shining star in an otherwise dull sky as far as Manchester United is concerned. The Spaniard won the Premier League Player of the Month for January, a first for a goalkeeper since February 2016.

The writing seems to be on the wall for Dean Henderson as he will look to move on at the end of the season. Ralf Rangnick clearly prefers De Gea, and it is impossible to drop him with the red hot form that he is in.

The Spaniard is 31 years old, which is fairly young for a goalkeeper, and is also set to sit down for new contract talks at Manchester United.

Henderson’s considerable wages and young age make him a valuable asset for Manchester United, who will look to get a sizeable transfer fees out of him. They will also consider the fact that many big clubs in Europe will look to secure his services.

It will be unfair to say that Henderson is surplus to requirements, but the Red Devils cannot afford to have a stacked roster of four goalkeepers, with two of them being on high wages. There are other areas of the pitch that need prioritizing.